American Estates: Mark Tinsky Smooth Longshank Billiard (5) Tobacco Pipe

Mark Tinsky has always been an adventurous spirit; in fact, he first decided to open a pipe-carving business while bicycling across Europe with his friend Curt Rollar. Since that fateful day in 1978, the American carver has built a long and successful career of making beautiful pipes, often with his own unique adaptations of classic pipe chart shapes. This Billiard is a striking shape from the American carver, though it's a profile we've seen from him in the past, with a wide transition that leads to an impressive length of shank and stem. The combination extends the reach of this piece to more than seven and a half inches long, its sleek length holding aloft a far more traditional bowl. Said bowl sits atop a firm, pronounced heel and cants forward dynamically, complete with a low-set waistline and supple upward taper to the inward-sloping rim. Dressing this pipe is a rich, auburn-tinged stain that showcases handsome grain, the black stem keeping the aesthetic classic.